AKB0048: Another Beginning
by Sweetangel823
Summary: Their dream started in a concert. They promised to be a part of AKB0048. Four years after that faithful concert, they finally got the chance to be part of the stage that they've been dreaming about, read and follow a story about crushed and fulfilled dreams! -Collaborated with VongolaCielo27-


**Angel: So, after I finished my first AKB0048 AU, I posted a certain poll about what AKB0048 story to write next, and then in a conversation with Cielo, this idea hatched. We decided to make it a collaborated effort, so it's not only me, nor only Cielo who has written this chapter^^**

**Cielo: Hey, everyone! Thanks for having an interest with our story (^_^)! I hope everyone enjoy the story and the plot. And to whoever does started reading this story, I hope it brings a smile to your face :)**

**DISCLAIMER: None of the authors of this fanfic own AKB0048, or it's characters.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 1: Unerasable Dream<strong>

"Hey Chieri?" A young female's voice said close to one of the two flashlights. The voice belonged to a pink haired girl, with eyes of the same colour. She was the one holding the first flashlight. Beside her walked a girl, who seemed to belong even less in the sewers they were walking with her long, curly aquamarine hair and eyes, and her blue and white dress and a matching bow in her hair.

The fancy looking girl, apparently Chieri, turned her head towards the girl beside her.

"Yeah? What is it, Nagisa?"

"Is entertainment really that great?" The first one to speak, Nagisa, asked.

"Well, I've never seen it live, but I've seen a lot of live footage," Chieri replied clasping the bag she was carrying tighter. "And what I've seen is awesome. Though they say nothing beats seeing them live."

"So does this AKB0048 really exist?" A new voice asked. It belonged to one of the two girls behind them, and she was holding the other flashlight. She wore her blonde hair in short pigtails, and had brown eyes, and at the moment, a timid-looking, and slightly scared, girl clinging to her arm. The timid looking girl did also have pink hair and pink eyes, but compared to Nagisa, she had a lot softer of a colour, and her hair was both longer and fluffier.

"It does," Chieri replied, "My father calls it a nuisance, but I don't think so. I believe that they are great."

"But the government are against them, right?" The timid-looking girl asked. "I mean doesn't they think it's scary?"

"No… Well maybe they do, but they still finish their concerts at any cost… Except the security of the fans."

"Eh? You mean that by going to the concert we might get in danger?" The blonde cut off Nagisa's question.

"What?" The light-pink haired girl seemed terrified. The girl at her side sighed.

"Don't worry, Orine. We'll make sure you won't get hurt." The blonde said.

"'You mean it?" Orine whimpered.

"Of course!" Nagisa exclaimed a little too loud for comfort, and Chieri put one of her hands to Nagisa's mouth. When the blue haired girl finally decided to let go, Nagisa continued, but not as loudly. "Yuka's right. We'll all protect you." Chieri looked back as well, and nodded, to which Orine offered a small smile.

The girls continued to walk in silence, and the sewers gradually turned to caves. When they got closer to something that seemed to be the end of the tunnel, they heard a voice.

"AKB0048!" It rang, and but the rest of the words drowned in something that could only be cheering of a large crowd. Chieri started running immediately, and the other three chased after her a second later. Finally getting out of the cave, the girls found themselves on the top off a large cliff, or rather, looking closer, the edge of one of the huge granite mines on Lancastar, and in the bottom of the hole, and most of the sides, hundreds and hundreds of people had gathered. However, as breath taking as that in itself was, the most extraordinary thing with the scene, was a large spaceship, which was, at the moment, de-folding into a birdlike form, as well as a stage extending from the bottom of it. On the stage stood over-a-dozen-or-so girls and music began to play.

As the girls sang and danced to the music, Nagisa realized that no matter her wavering ways and self-doubt, she wanted to be like them. Beside her, Chieri rose up, and sang along to the music, and danced some of the steps. She for the matter was already sold on it.

The song soon ended and another started, and the four pre-teens were all enjoying the concert with all of their hearts. None of them noticed the mech-suits that launched from the stage space-ship to counter the incoming other mech-suits. In fact the first time they noticed the battles that were going on, was when a wall, not too far away, exploded in a cloud of dust. Orine whimpered as countless men dressed completely in metal and thick fabric emerged from the hole in the wall.

The four girls went unnoticed, or ignored, by the soldiers, whom aimed at the idols who were now on personal hovering boards with net-launchers and rifles. Luckily, the idols dodged the shots easily, either because of their skillfulness, or the soldiers being horrible at aiming. Perhaps even both.

However, as the song reached it's chorus, the girls seemed to put in even more energy, and in less than a minute, they gathered back at the rising stage, looking like miniature, fast-moving stars shining in different colours. The idols yelled their goodbyes and thanks to the audience, and a portal arrived. The now re-folded ship flew into it, and just like that, it was gone.

The four amazed girls looked at the sparkles which slowly fell down as a small reminder of the concert.

"When I grow up, I am definitely going to be a part of them." Chieri smiled.

"Me too." Nagisa said. "I want to sing on that stage."

"Me three." Yuka said, feeling both amazed, and ashamed that she originally doubted it.

"Me four." Orine said after a moment. "They were so pretty."

And after staying there a moment, watching the falling sparkles and thinking back on what they had just seen, the girls left the way they came.

* * *

><p><strong>Four years later.<strong>

Nagisa rode her bike down the hill from her school home. Her life since that concert had been rather dull, and she herself felt rather dull as well because of it. Even if it had been four years, Nagisa still hadn't forgotten the vow she had made that day (not to mention Yuka didn't allow her to forget it).

At the very moment she parked her bike by her house, her phone pinged. She flipped it open, and saw a message from Yuka.

"_Nagi. We need to talk._

_Come over to my house._

_No excuses._

_Love~ Yuka 3"_

Nagisa smiled. Only Yuka could express herself that way without making it sound boring. She plopped the helmet back on her head, and hopped back on the bike.

* * *

><p>Orine, only having a few school-days a week (as she wasn't able to afford anything more), had worked all day at the factory where she earned the sparse amount of money she actually had.<p>

As she ended her shift, she wiped her hands off on a towel - even if the only things her hands had gotten into contact with was the levers she used to control the machines, and then picked up her blinking phone. It showed a missed call from Yuka, and then a text from said blonde, which she opened, and read.

"_Orine, hurry!_

_We have to talk._

_Come over to my house._

_I'm pretty sure you ended_

_your shift about now, didn't you?_

_SYS Yuka 3"_

Orine quickly took off her apron she used whenever working, as well as the hood holding back her hair. Then she hurried out of the building.

* * *

><p>A few minutes later, Nagisa stopped her bike, and parked it behind the lunch bar that Yuka's parents owned. Then, she went inside, and Yuka spotted her immediately. Without a word, the blonde promptly dragged Nagisa up the stairs, and to her room, and then left. Nagisa waited for about five minutes (she knew better than to leave the room if Yuka had told her they needed to talk, and wanted her there), and then Yuka entered the room again, grinning broadly and was followed by Orine, who seemed slightly confused. The three sat down on Yuka's bed, and Yuka flipped up her phone. A hologram popped up, and Nagisa yelled and snatched the phone out of Yuka's hand.<p>

"EEEEH?!" Yuka grinned at her reaction.

"Told you that I would find it." She said.

"Wow, Yuka, you really did." Orine said, as she read over Nagisa's shoulder. It wasn't a question, but Yuka replied either way.

"Yup." The blonde said, popping the "P". "And, I've gotten further than that." She took back the phone, and changed into another window, and a green-haired girl appeared on a new hologram. The three immediately recognized her as Takamina.

"Hello, I'm Takahashi Minami of AKB0048's fifth generation. We'll be recruiting interns for the 77th time in order to search for new friends. We're the idols who sing our love. We perform on planets even where entertainment is banned in order to see our fans! We have borrowed the names of the first generation of AKB to continue spreading the love they possessed." Takamina yelped slightly as another girl - Oshima Yuko the ninth - jumped on her back.

"You might even get a number of your own!" The brunette jumped off of Takamina, and stood beside her.

"Yuko, don't butt in like that!" Takamina scolded, and Yuko grinned.

"Sorry, Cap'."

Several more girls appeared, and Nagisa recognized most of them from the concert from four years ago.

"We're waiting for your application!" They all said, and before they disappeared, Yuko interrupted.

"We want to see how gay you are!"*

Then, the picture changed to a text, which a voice read as well.

"If you live in an area restricted from entertainment, just send us your LinkedIn profile, and please use a PGP key."

The girls sighed.

"What are we going to do?" Yuka asked after a moment.

"What do you mean?" Orine looked at her friends. Nagisa jumped up, and spun around, so that she looked at both of them.

"I'll apply."

"What?" Yuka asked. She wasn't entirely sure that Nagisa had thought things through.

"I mean, Yuko said she wanted to see us, so that's what I'm going to do! Besides, you remember the promise we made."

Yuka shrugged. "I guess there's no helping it, then. Come on."

And with that, Yuka grabbed the hands of the other two girls, and pulled them out of the room.

* * *

><p>Half an hour later, the girls exited the cave. They were at that same spot where they first had seen the miracle, and looking to their right, they could still see the hole where the DES soldiers had broken through. After looking at the scene a moment, they started to record their tapes.<p>

"_The dream is amidst the sweat, I'm always waiting for it to spout out, until one day, for sure, the wish comes true._" Yuka ended her song.

"Wow, Yuka, you sing so well!" Orine exclaimed.

"Really?" Yuka asked as she ran back over to the other two.

"Yeah, you sounded kind of like Mayuyu!" Orine answered.

"Nagisa, your turn." Yuka handed over the mic.

"What?" Nagisa said. "Oh."

A minute later, Nagisa stood at the same place Yuka had a minute earlier. Yuka started the music.

"_I wanted to meet you, I wanted to meet you, I wanted to meet you, YES!"_ Nagisa sang quietly at the first three phrases, and practically yelled the final word. Both Orine and Yuka mentally face planted.

Even if her confidence lacked, the other two girls let her finish the song, and when Orine had ended the recording, Yuka rushed over to Nagisa.

"What was that?" She demanded.

"I'm sorry," Nagisa explained on her knees, "I'm just so embarrassed."

"What?!" Yuka exclaimed, "You're not confident in your singing, yet you want to join AKB0048? You're never going to make it!"

"But you can feel her passion..." Orine said. Nagisa practically flew up to her feet with a cheerful "yippe!"

"Well, kind of, I guess?" Orine continued, but Nagisa didn't hear her.

* * *

><p>"Hey, what if we really pass the audition?" Nagisa asked as they walked home. They had stopped by a café on their way back, and then bumped into a few friends from Nagisa and Yuka's class, so it was already sun-down.<p>

"I'll definitely succeed Mariko-sama!" Yuka said and fistpumped.

"Shinoda Mariko?" Nagisa asked. "But you aren't trolly enough… right?" She added the final part and looked to Orine when she saw Yuka's death-glare.

"What?! Me?" Orine exclaimed as they both turned to her, "I mean, not right now, but there's still time to practice that, right..?"

"Eh…?" Yuka looked at her suspiciously, "Why do I get the feeling you're not talking about me? Who do you want to succeed?"

"What?!" Orine's cheeks turned bright pink, "No-one! I mean I do not know!"

"You're definitely lying. We know you better than anyone, and we can definitely tell when you're lying. Now fess up!" Yuka said giving Orine a suspicious stare.

"What? No!" Orine panicked for a moment, before giving up. "All right, I want to become Sasshi. Happy?"

"Oh~! That's ambitious of you Orine! You go girl!" Yuka exclaimed as she sent Orine an encouraging look.

The sound of a ball getting bounced turned their heads up towards the street, and Yuka stiffens a second, before pulling out a mirror from her bag, and straightens her bangs. She looked at the other two, and caught them staring at her.

"I'm sorry, I gotta' go..." She said as she increased her speed and walked towards a brown haired boy.

"Is that Mamoru?" Nagisa asked. "Are they dating?"

"No, not officially."

* * *

><p><em>DRIP… DRIP… DRIP…<em>

The sound of dripping water was heard as a blond haired woman wearing something that looked like a miko robe walked towards the end of a long hallway and said, "Sensei-sensei…"

"The dreams of girls from all across the universe have arrived. Please, oh Holy Lyric, help us choose the worthy ones..." As the woman spoke, several hologram cards appeared from a small device she held in her raised hands. Then, the cards parted as two golden lights lit up at the end of the hallway.

"Selection… Selection... Selection..." A voice repeated the word, and for every time it did it, a card vanished, until only a few remained.

* * *

><p>"Ahm~!" Nagisa moaned happily as she plopped yet another tomato from her plate, and put it into her mouth.<p>

"Nagisa, if you keep eating tomatoes like that, then you'll become a tomato yourself," Nagisa's mother commented with amusement as she watched her daughter.

"But I love them!" Nagisa happily informed her mother as she plopped yet another one in her mouth.

"Nagisa," her father interrupted sternly.

"What is it, Papa?"

"I noticed that you have a poster related to entertainment hanging in your room. Take it down."

"What?! You went into my room without asking me?!" Nagisa pushed her chair out when she rose in a hurriedly fashion from her anger.

"Entertainment is still strictly forbidden on this planet. Take it down," her father repeated. Nagisa's fist clenched in anger.

"No. It took too long for me to get that for you to just tell me to take it down." Nagisa stubbornly refused.

"Plus, you were singing in your room this morning. So stop doing it," When Nagisa didn't answer immediately, he continued, "What do you think the people would say if they found out that the daughter of a DDAE official was practicing entertainment in her room? I would never hear the end of it. So stop doing it."

"I'm done," Nagisa said as she looked down at the floor, depressed, and walked out of the dining room and to her bedroom, but before closing the door, she heard her mother call out to her, and then her father reproving her mother.

"Nagisa!"

"Leave her be. She'll get over it."

* * *

><p>"Papa, you idiot!" Nagisa exclaimed as she sat down on her bed. She looked at the poster, and sighed, "They are so cute… I wonder if I'm fit to be an idol...?"<p>

"Nagisa, I'm coming in." The voice of her mother came from the other side on the door, but Nagisa didn't hear her, "Such cute scrunchies… I want to wear one like that too."

"Nagisa!" Her mother interrupted her train of thoughts.

"Mama?"

"Eat these," the older woman placed a plate with three rice balls and some tomatoes on her desk, "Your father was promoted not too long ago, and it's only natural for him to think so strongly about his job at the moment. Please try to understand how he is feeling."

"Then what about how I'm feeling?! Isn't it his job as my father to try to understand my feelings as well?!" Nagisa practically screamed at her mother, who took a step back at the sudden outburst. "I don't have to care about HIS job! It's his fault I can't sing properly. Every time I try to sing at home, he punishes me, and he won't even let me practice outside either! "

"Nagisa…" her mother said softly, as she pulls Nagisa closer and pats her head.

"No!" Nagisa pulled away, and the tears that had threatened to spill over finally fell down, "You're always on Papa's side! Aren't my feelings important to either of you?!"

"Bring down the dishes when you're done," her mother said as she turned around and left the room.

"I don't want your rice balls."

* * *

><p><strong>The following day.<strong>

_Pling._

_CRASH!_

"Oh… Oh… Oh my gosh!" Yuka exclaimed as her bike fell to the ground beside her, and she fell to her knees. Tears streamed down her cheeks. Orine ran over to her.

"What happened, Yuka? Are you all right?" She asked. Yuka nodded, and held up her phone which showed a small hologram message to the other two.

"W-we-we passed the audition!" Yuka stuttered over the words in her joy.

"Which of us?" Orine asked, snatching the phone out of Yuka's hands.

"All of us!" At this, Orine as well developed tears, and she dove down, and gave Yuka a hug out of sheer happiness.

"Look!" Yuka exclaimed as the message changed. "They even sent us E-tickets to the venue! We won't even have to pay to get to the second round of the audition!"

"Wow! This is amazing, I never thought we'd all make it! Isn't this great, Nagisa?" Orine looked at her friend. "Nagisa?"

"I… I don't think I'll be able to go," Nagisa said, clearly regretting every word.

"WHAT?!" Yuka exclaimed as she rushed to her feet, "You can't back out now! You were even the one who said we should audition! Didn't you say that 00 was waiting for us? That Yuko was waiting for us? If you back out now, you're just a SCAREDY-CAT! " She paused to breathe before spilling the rest of her accusations. "You're just lame if you chicken out now! LAME! LAME! LAME!" Yuka shouted as she stepped closer to Nagisa with every word. Then she turned on the spot, grabbed her helmet, and jumped on her bike.

"Yuka, wait!" Orine shouted in vain; Yuka simply ignored her.

* * *

><p>"Out of the question."<p>

"What!? Why no-..." Nagisa started, but her father interrupted her.

"Even if you do not value your life, me and your mother does, so no. The venue is likely to be attacked, and what are you going to do then? It's not like AKB0048 comes rescuing every single auditioner."

"But-..."

"To risk your life for something so pointless, is plain stupid."

"Pointless?" Nagisa couldn't believe her ears. She took the remote to the TV, and shut it down, in order to get her father's full attention. "Four years ago," she said, "00 came to this planet. They came to this planet where entertainment was banned. They knew it was dangerous, but they still came to see us!"

"Nagis-..." It was her father's turn to get interrupted.

"Because of that concert, this planet changed! If no one does anything, then nothing will change!"

"Change isn't necessary." Her father stated as-a-matter-of-factly, and that ended the discussion. Nagisa ran out of the room, and slammed the doors shut behind her.

Nagisa ran outside, and continued to run, even if she didn't know where she was going. As she passed a park, she heard the sound of a slap, and two people arguing. Stopping, she looked in among the trees, and saw Yuka and Mamoru.

"What's so wrong with having a dream?!" Yuka yelled. "It's not like I have made it through yet!"

"Yeah, but you go with the intention of passing!" The boy held his reddening cheek, and refused to look Yuka in the eye. "I loved you," he said, "but if you become an idol, I don't think I will be able to."

Yuka's hands trembled as she grabbed the strap of her bag. "I'll show you..." She mumbled, before yelling:

"I'll definitely pass the audition and become a member! Just you wait! And when I do, YOU will not be getting my autograph!"

Outside of the park Nagisa looked at her friend running away with sad eyes. Thinking over the argument, she unconsciously started walking, and eventually found herself at the place where her dream had begun, where she laid down.

* * *

><p>Orine finished the final bits of cleaning at the factory where she worked.<p>

"There we go, all clean." She smiled. "I guess this will be the last time I see this place in a long time, huh? I'll miss it..."

She walked over to one of the parts she had made, and put a hand on it's cool, flat surface. "But I promise that I'll come back, some day when the Cherry Blossom trees are in full bloom."

While she spoke to herself, she picked up a chisel and started writing a word on the surface. When she was done, the letter were written there in a neat handwriting.

* * *

><p>"<em>Yuka was right," <em>Nagisa thought, "_I'm a scaredy-cat, and lame… I'm afraid of getting hurt… Yuka isn't. Yuka was hurt herself, yet she hasn't given up on her dream… Our dream, that was born at this place… I'm giving up on it."_

A few minutes later, Nagisa heard footsteps walking in her direction, followed by a voice she knew so very well.

"What's wrong with her? Is she asleep?" Yuka asked.

"Hey, Nagisa, wake up! It you sleep here, then you'll catch a cold." Orine's voice came from above her when she felt a pair of tender hands grabbing her shoulders shaking her slightly. Yuka sighed, took off her coat, and put it over Nagisa as a blanket.

"I guess it can't be helped..."

"What do you think she's going to do?" Yuka asked.

"I have no idea..." Orine sighed. "You know, joining AKB0048 isn't my dream."

"What? Then why did you audition?" Yuka asked, completely perplexed.

"My dream was to join AKB0048 with both you and Nagisa… And Chieri."

"Ah! Mine too!" Yuka agreed.

* * *

><p>It was early in the morning, and the sun hadn't even rosen yet. Nagisa changed to her school uniform as she gave the poster one last look.<p>

"I guess I really have to," she mumbled. Then, she picked her most necessary things into a bag, and went downstairs to begin putting on her shoes. She yawned; Despite having laid in her bed all night, she hadn't gotten any sleep.

"Nagisa?" A voice said behind her. When Nagisa turned around, she saw the, slightly surprised, appearance of her mother.

"Mama? Um.. I… I'm..." Nagisa tried to explain what she was doing,but she couldn't find the right words. Her mother walked over to her, and sat down beside her. Nagisa squeezed her eyes shut, waiting for the scolding that was sure to come. Yet it never did. Nagisa felt her mother take a part of her hair, and tie it up with… _something_.

"What do you think?" Her mother asked as she turned Nagisa's head to the mirror on the wall beside them. At first Nagisa couldn't say anything; she was trying to grasp what really had happened.

"I… I look like I belong on that poster!" She exclaimed, and her mother giggled slightly.

"I was in a hurry, so it may not be perfect," Nagisa's mother said, "But I'm glad you like it."

"Mama, it _is_ perfect!" Nagisa hugged her mother.

"I'll miss you," The older woman said, returning the embrace. "and so will your father, even if he isn't very good at showing how much he loves you. Now, why don't you go chase your dream?" Nagisa nodded and smiled through the tears.

"I love you, and goodbye," The teen said, and with that, she turned around, and headed for the door, before turning her head again. "Will you tell dad that I love him too?"

"Of course," her mother smiled.

"Thank you." Nagisa went outside, and ran over to her bike. She didn't even bother with the helmet, and hopped on the bike at the same time as she pushed it out on the road. She pedaled it as hard as she could, to the point where she _definitely wouldn't_ be able to break in time if something went infront of her, and even harder.

Speeding down the hill, she gasped as she saw the miniature figures of Yuka and Orine boarding the ship, and by the time she was at the runway, the engines started up. Because of the sudden heat-wave, Nagisa lost her balance, and fell off the bike, only to bounce straight back to feet, and started to run. She got closer and closer to the door, and it suddenly opened, revealing Orine.

"Hurry up, Nagisa, grab my hand!" The timid girl yelled over the noise of the engines. Nagisa reached out her hand, and for a split second, their fingers made contact, but the plane sped up, and the fleeting touch disappeared. Suddenly, another pair of hands leaned out, and grabbed Nagisa first by the hand, and then the wrist. As Nagisa looked up, she saw a blonde who was giving her a serious death glare. Nagisa felt her feet leave the ground, and both her friends pulled her inside of the ship as it rose off the ground. The door closed automatically a second after the three tumbled to the floor.

"You IDIOT!" Yuka yelled. "You could've gotten seriously hurt!"

"I'm glad you came!" Orine exclaimed, contrasting Yuka's worry disguised as fury completely.

"Let's go together..." Nagisa panted. "...Towards our dream!"

* * *

><p><strong>*Yuko didn't mean gay as in homosexual, she meant gay as in happy;)<strong>

**There you have it~**

**Now that this first chapter has ended, Angel will go ahead and tell everyone the following: This story doesn't have the same plot as Alternate Path, and we're not going to spill more than necessary. You'll have to wait and see^^**


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